Find out how popular the last name Tavera is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tavera.

Tavera, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tavera surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tavera in America

Tavera is the 9455th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tavera surname appeared 3,441 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Tavera.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tavera to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tavera

The surname Tavera has its origins in Spain, emerging in the 14th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "tabaira," meaning a type of barrel or cask used for storing liquids like wine or olive oil. This suggests the name may have been initially associated with coopers or barrel makers.

One of the earliest known mentions of the Tavera name can be found in the records of Castile, where a Juan Tavera is documented as serving in the court of King Juan II in the 1400s. The name is also present in historical documents from Andalusia and Extremadura during this period.

In the 16th century, Juan Tavera (1472-1545), a prominent Spanish cardinal and statesman, rose to prominence. He served as the Archbishop of Toledo and played a significant role in the political affairs of the Spanish Empire under Charles V.

Another notable figure with this surname was Juan Bautista Tavera (1556-1641), a Spanish military commander and governor of the Philippines from 1626 to 1632. His administration was marked by efforts to fortify the islands against Dutch invasion.

In the 18th century, Pedro Tavera (1720-1793) was a Spanish architect and engineer who contributed to the construction of several notable buildings in Madrid, including the Royal Palace.

The Tavera name also has a presence in Latin American history. José María Tavera (1804-1866) was a Peruvian military officer and politician who served as the President of Peru from 1851 to 1855.

While the Tavera surname originated in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including parts of Latin America and the Philippines, due to Spanish colonization and migration patterns.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tavera

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tavera.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tavera was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tavera has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tavera was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tavera, please contact us.

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